The invention relates to devices for golfers to improve their skill while practicing swinging and putting.
Golfers know that during a backswing, weight should be maintained on the inside of the golfer's right foot (it will be assumed that the golfer is right-handed). As the club comes down to strike the ball, rotation should be from
the inside of the golfer's right foot, with transfer of weight to the lower left body side occurring before the ball has been struck. Proper balance (i.e., weight transfer during the swing). alignment with the ball and body stance during the backswing and follow-through are equally important. Generally, prior art golf practice devices have not recognized balance and weight shift as the most important factors during swinging. While devices exist that permit improvement of balance, alignment or stance, known devices do not provide for improving all three skills simultaneously.
Prior art golf swing practice devices try to keep the golfer's weight on the inside of the right foot, but ignore the role of the left foot in proper backswing and follow-through. Often such devices are cumbersome to use and force the golfer to assume awkward and unnatural positions while trying to develop proper balance during the swing. Generally, such devices fail to show the golfer what was done wrong during the backswing and follow-through, and fail to show proper foot position at the completion of the swing.
For example, Fern, U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,771 attempts to monitor angular position of the golfer's left foot during a swing by sounding an audible signal upon completion of the swing. Fern's apparatus, which is clamped to the golfer's shoe, is somewhat cumbersome to use and provides no information except at completion of the swing. 0'Brien, U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,903 is similarly cumbersome in attempting to keep the golfer's weight on the inside of the right foot during the backswing by providing a hitting station with an inclined adjustable block upon which the golfer places his inside foot. Hyotlaine, U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,950 provides a stance gauge that engages the toes of the golfer's shoes and includes an adjustable rod that contacts the golfer's leg to remind him of outside leg action during the swing. Spedding, U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,821 provides a foot plate for use on each shoe during practice.
Known putting practice devices frequently ignore the fact that one good putter may use considerable wrist action, another good putter may use considerable shoulder action, while a third good putter may use a combination of each. Devices such as Ford, U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,116, which compel the golfer to strike the ball within two adjustable parallel bars, tend to force all golfers to adopt whatever stroke the practice device was designed about. Berkey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,287 provides a cantilevered ledge under which the putting club head must travel, and thus compels the practicing golfer to practice only the stroke for which the Berkey apparatus was designed. Pelz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,669 provides a catenary-like putting practice track which keeps the putter club head between the track sides and is elevated at either end to facilitate stroking, thus providing a bit more flexibility than devices such as Ford and Berkey. Realistic putting practice requires that the golfer be readily able to aim the ball at different targets, such as compensating for breaks in the green. However known devices permit putting practice towards a single target only, and the golfer must bend over and lift or move the entire apparatus to re-aim at a different target.
What is needed is a single apparatus capable of providing practice to simultaneously perfect balance, alignment and stance during a golf swing, and capable of providing flexible putting practice. When used to practice swings, the apparatus should indicate to the golfer proper weight distribution during the backswing and follow-through, and proper weight transfer during follow-through after the ball has been struck. The apparatus should also provide alignment guidance and indicate proper foot position at the completion of the swing. When used to practice putting, the device should not constrain the golfer's putting style, and should be capable of re-aiming without the golfer having to bend over or lift or move a heavy apparatus. Finally, regardless of the practice it provides, the apparatus should be straightforward and inexpensive in its construction, and should not be cumbersome in use.